Mata Hari, the exotic, enigmatic courtesan and alleged World War I spy, connects to larger aspects of American culture and history. This thesis examines portrayals of Mata Hari in U.S. media and how those depictions reflect changing politics of gender, race, economics, and the global climate between 1917 and 1929. Scholars have examined Mata Hari in the context of the femme fatale archetype, female intelligence work, Orientalism, and European media portrayals. This study offers an examination of Mata Hari’s portrayals in U.S. media specifically in newspapers and books. These portrayals of Mata Hari mirrored cultural values regarding women’s roles, norms, and behaviors, in addition to racial, economic, and political issues.

Media depictions of Mata Hari reveal how gender, national identity, and patriotism were constructed during World War I and in subsequent decades. The true story of Mata Hari may never be recovered, yet her legend offers important insights into the cultures and societies that seek to interpret her celebrity. The United States, for example, probed complex issues such as gender roles, capitalism, and foreign relations using Mata Hari both during and long after the Great War.